Should Alpha Game be free?

[Jexshot]

"NEWS!! NEWS!! NEW ALPHA GAME BUY NOW"
I hate that and regret buying some alpha games now.
After so many years they are either abandoned or still alpha.

I have seen many Games that were released in past recent years and they are still in alpha. I think such developers should keep their game free with an in-game Marketplace to earn from. Wouldn't that reduce their game being pirated for the time being?

I really hate the Idea to keep such Alpha games in Alpha [Developing and buggy]
Beta is Developed and improving. I don't mind Beta be paid. But buying a game that's so buggy and taking too much time to remain in alpha stage does not make me satisfied.

So what do you think guys?
Is it Free with in-game marketplace or current standard way?

 

[Patrick]

"NEWS!! NEWS!! NEW ALPHA GAME BUY NOW"
I hate that and regret buying some alpha games now.
After so many years they are either abandoned or still alpha.

I have seen many Games that were released in past recent years and they are still in alpha. I think such developers should keep their game free with an in-game Marketplace to earn from. Wouldn't that reduce their game being pirated for the time being?

I really hate the Idea to keep such Alpha games in Alpha [Developing and buggy]
Beta is Developed and improving. I don't mind Beta be paid. But buying a game that's so buggy and taking too much time to remain in alpha stage does not make me satisfied.

So what do you think guys?
Is it Free with in-game marketplace or current standard way?

I believe developers should either wait until the game is just about complete (a couple of months prior to release) to allow people to "donate" to speed up the process, or just stick with the kickstarter method allowing people to dedicate a certain amount that is made unavailable to them until development is completely finished.

Making Early Access/Alpha free with microtransactions would be a viable method to combat pirates, but then you'd see devs cranking up the price of most all in game items/features to even out what they would have normally made from people paying Early Access/Alpha.

Keeping the standard as it is allows for all of the issues we run into today (dev abandonment, mass pirating, etc.) to remain.

 

[guruproto]

I think it depends on the alpha. Some developers may require payment for their alphas to cover development costs. Some games that come to mind are Overgrowth, We Happy Few, and many Kickstarter games. If this is the case, I don't mind paying for it. Even if it is buggy, you have early access to some amazing games and the future updates to that game. If it's a multiplayer game, you can also get an edge over the competition since you've been playing before anyone else could get their hands on it.

Early Access that's free with micro-transactions is something I have mixed feelings about. I've played far too many pay to win mobile games to fully trust a game with micro-transactions.

 

[ulfhedin]

I am not a fan of micro-transactions. I'm old school, and would rather pay one fee for a game. I also don't like dlc, cause it is just another form of a micro transactions. Alpha release is nice, you know it is a Alpha release and you get to be apart of an up coming game. When a game comes out as finished and needs updates, that is also something I really dislike as well. The game should be complete when they sale it, unless it is marked as an Alpha release.

 

[Hux]

I don't see the issue with alpha games being paid, of course unless the game is awful. But that's the decision you make when you purchase one. That's how a lot of developers keep their progress going, through selling copies of the game in alpha meaning they'd have more to spend on the development and design of the game.

 

[Sino989]

Well, it could go either way. If it's a big game that they are actually going to keep working on the alpha then it should be payed but if it's not for certain they're going to keep working on it then it shouldn't be payed or you should at least get your money back,

 

[Xilkozuf]

I think we should completely get rid of alpha and early access game, and release a game only when it's completed! If it's done right, the wait will be worth it. I recognize that millions of users can do a beta test better than a few payed experts, but releasing a alpha game seems to be a too common practice today.
If they want to test how well the game is received, get back to the demos! What happened to them anyway?

 

[arachnophobik]

I feel like it should be available for trial. I don't think it should be completely free, making a game is hard work. You pay for those who make it, and sometimes it will take a very long time to finish. I agree, you're paying for an incomplete game, but that's why I think the trial isn't such a bad decision. Having a trial version means you can try out enough of the game to decide if its worth spending your hard-earned cash on.

 

[Ipa07]

It should be free so it brings new customers. I don't understand why they wont do it.

 

[Denis_P]

While I don't think it should be entirely free since there are a lot of alpha games out there which already have taken up months - - if not years - - of work, some are in fact broken piles of hot garbage that end up ripping people off. In order to bring balance to this I think that alpha games should have a trial period where you can test and see if you think the game is worth paying for in its current state, and once the trial is up you decide whether you want to keep playing or not.

 

[kenoobie]

It depends on the kind of game. If its a MMO/Multiplayer type of game then it should be free and the company could offer limited goods/skins for those that would want to support the development of the game. If its a single player game, then I do not mind paying for it but the company should also give me something like cosmetics, in-game items or artwork for supporting their product during their development.

 

[StolenKid]

I don't think so, it's very early to test the game, the beta should always be the version that gamers could test.

 

[Koyomi Araragi]

That depends on how alpha we're talking.

Something like Yandere Simulator should definitely be free (at least until the developer makes any noteworthy progress on the game...), as the testing builds are way too incomplete to justify someone purchasing them.

 

[overcast]

I think if alpha games turned out to be free. I don't think a lot of people will buy game. I think alpha version of the game should be released in trial. I know people are known for not paying for stuff. So it's safe to say that it's better with the low cost. Such games can be surely good in such case if only are set for the alpha.

 

[timstargraal]

I believe that they should be completely free. Why? As they are just in alpha, a game which is only in very early in development shouldn’t be paid for and if the developer is looking for feedback, yes it should be free or a trial. If the developer is looking for revenue, it sure has to be a great game before monetizing the game in alpha. Though, if a game is to be released in alpha, it shouldn’t be paid for as people wouldn’t want to pay for it.